The Secret of Serephics
by IceDragon5683
Summary: What would happen if 1  Gon was a girl and 2  her very existence represented an extinct race that was trying to revive and possibly save the world from destroying itself?  There will be romance, but it will take a LONG time
1. Prologue

**Hey Everyone! This is my new Story! Ok, so here's what you need to know. 1)There is no Aunt Mito 2) Gon's a girl 3) 'Gon' is **_**not **_**her real name 4) Jin is her older brother 5) There's an OC named Jun who's also Gon's older brother (Jin's twin) 6) the three siblings are all orphans (grandma is still around) 7) Jin and Jun are 15 years older than Gon 8) both Jin and Jun are hunters by the time Gon comes into the picture. And that's all you need to know before you read.**

"**Blah" talking**

'**Blah' thinking**

**:Blah: time/setting**

_**Blah **_**flashback/dream**

_**Blah**_** prophesy **

Prologue: Enter Angel Child

: Jin and Jun age 15:

It was a peaceful day at Whale Island when Jin and Jun had returned home for a relaxing break from their hunter life. It had been three years since they became hunters and one and a half years since the two went their separate ways.

"Jun! It's good to see you! How have you been?" Jin said to his twin brother. Jin was in without a shirt and had cargo pants with a cloak to cover most of him. He had his trusty gloves at his belt.

"I've been fine brother. I have found many strange plaques with writing I just cannot decipher." Jun was in jeans and a T-shirt, he also had a cloak only his was not as worn out as Jin's. His katana was also at his belt.

"Really? I've found many temples with strange writing on the walls, I could only slightly understand the pictures. Maybe we're talking about the same thing." Jin said speculating

"Jin… We promised Grandmother that we wouldn't think too much about work during our visit…" Jun felt obliged to remind his somewhat careless brother.

Jin and Jun may look similar, but their personalities and perspectives are so different yet harmonious with each other that they were constantly considered to be the representation of Yin and Yang.

"True, true. Shall we go? If we hurry we'll make it to lunch. " Jin asked with his usual smirk.

"Very well…" Jun said with a sigh. The two sped off at a speed where, to everyone else, they simply vanished.

The two arrived at their home in less than 5 minutes. The house had a giant tree that appeared as if it grew from the house. It was a simple home, a two story only because they lived on a hill. An old lady was hanging laundry on the patio.

"Grandma!" Jin and Jun yelled happily as they ran normally to the house.

"Oh! Jin! Jun! How good to see you! You're right on time; it's about time for lunch." Grandma said as she looked into the house to start making them something to eat.

"Great! I'm starving!" Jin exclaimed

"As am I." replied Jun

"Why don't you two take a bath before eating? You both look like a mess after running through the forest. I haven't even started making anything." She said as she was obtaining her supplies

"Alright! I call first!" Jin yelled while running there

"Please do… you looked a mess _before_ we started running." Jun said with a slight smirk

"You two haven't changed much have you?" Grandma said while chuckling.

"Not really. But I think even Jin grew a bit after all the time as a hunter." Jun admitted

"Jun! I'm done! Your turn!"

"Kay!" Jun yelled as he went off for a bath

:During Dinner:

Jin and Jun were laughing while telling their grandmother stories of their adventures. They got to the point of what they were doing when they separated.

"I decided to look for ruins and let the average people enjoy them too. Of course I first need to figure out a way to do that without damaging the ruin." Jin explained with a smile

"I'm trying to decipher the ancient texts I find while searching for more knowledge." Jun said while smiling with Jin

"Still the same bookworm as ever"

"And why not? I enjoy learning about several things, knowledge is part of being a hunter too you know."

"I guess. But I prefer the adventure of it."

"You two seem to have had quite the time on your travels, but I'm glad you come by every once in a while." Their grandma said with a kind smile

"Of course Grandma, we could never stay away too long. It's home" Jin and Jun said together

"That is good to hear." A knock could be heard from the door "Oh? I wonder who that is." She walked over to the door "Oh my!" at her door was a little baby girl sleeping. There was a note beside her. But what was most surprising about her was that her head, back, wrists and ankles had wings on them. Grandma was shocked at first, but regained her calm to read the letter left behind.

'This child's name is -, but it must not be known. She is a very special being. She is loved by all elements. There is a book with her that will teach her how to use her powers. I ask that you raise her with love and care. Also, both Jin and Jun MUST be by her side for her first 5 years of life. As difficult as it is for them to believe, she is their sister.'

"Jin! Jun! I think you need to see this!" Grandma yelled slightly panicked.

"Grandma! What is it?" They ran out and saw the baby. "What's she doing here? And why does she have wings?"

"Read this letter." She handed them the note

They read it slowly. "Is the writer insane? Mom died ages ago, so did dad. There's no way she can be our sister." Jin said with a confused expression

"Normally I would agree, if not for the fact that there's a picture of our parents in this book." Jun said as he was looking through it

"What's in the book anyway?" Jin was curious about this book that would teach their 'sister'

"Nothing." To prove it, Jun showed the book to his twin "I can feel Nen from it though, so maybe it will show words when she grows stronger." He speculated

"Then I guess there's only one more question to ask. Are we going to do what the letter asks?" Jin was slightly worried at the thought, she could end up dangerous

Jun thought hard about it "Yes."

"Why's that?"

"Just a feeling, but we both know how accurate my feelings can get."

"That's true. So what's her new name going to be?"

"Gon." Their grandmother answered for them

"Gon? For a girl? Are you sure grandma?" Jin asked

"Yes… I believe this name will fit her just fine." To prove her point the little girl was giggling. She woke up from all the yelling.

"Alright, then her name will be Gon. Welcome to the family Gon." Jun said as he took hold of her and held her close.

Little Gon just smiled sweetly at her new family.

**How do you like it? Anyway, I need a little help from you. I just couldn't figure out what Gon's real name should be. I'd like it if you sent me what you think would be a good idea. But the name MUST have a significant meaning to it. Besides that, you are free to do whatever you choose. You can even make up your own names and meanings to them. Thank you!**


	2. I want to take the Hunter Exam!

**Hello everyone! Thank you for reading Gon's prologue! I hope you liked Jun too! And for any Mito fans, I'm sorry I erased her! Now, here's some new stuff you need to know. It's been 12 years since Gon came into the Freecs family, and Jin left after the required time was up to search for some answers that came up as they were raising Gon. As for what those questions were… you'll have to keep reading to find out. ^.^ Jun has been raising Gon since (with the help of their grandma). And… yeah… That's all you need to know for know. After that, keep reading! ^-^ **

**Disclaimer: I do not own HunterxHunter or any of its characters except the girl Gon, Jun, and any other OC's I end up making. **

"**Blah" talking**

'**Blah' thinking **

**:Blah: time/setting**

_**Blah**_** dream/flashback/vision (if any)**

"**blah****" unknown talking (I'll tell you once they actually start talking… not so sure yet…)**

Chapter 1: I want to take the Hunter Exam!

It had been twelve years since Gon started living at Whale Island; her light brown hair reached her shoulders flowing carelessly in the wind, her complexion was slightly tan but still had a fair feeling to them, and her bright blue eyes showed her innocence better than anything else. All in all, she was growing into an adorable young girl.

"Gon!" Jun called for her from their home "It's time for lunch!"

"Coming!" Gon replied to her brother, climbing down from the tree 'growing' out of their home. "Hey, Jun-nichan."

"Yes? What is it?"

"I was wondering… since I'm 12 now… !" She sped through her question.

Luckily, Jun understood her perfectly. "Hmm… You are eligible. And I can't really say you're too young, considering me and Jin took ours at that age too… So, let's give you a mini test. If you pass, you can go; if not, you wait till next year. Is that fair?"

"Un! What's my test going to be?" She asked her brother excitedly

"I'll have to think about it, come back to me at dinner time ok? Now eat your lunch, you want to hang out with Kon don't you?"

"Ah! That's right!" She exclaimed while quickly eating her lunch and running off to the forest.

Jun chuckled at the sight. "She's no different from Jin…"

"And you." Their grandmother finished. Enjoying the sight of her newest grandchild grow "Her curiosity definitely comes from you."

:Forest, near a lake:

Gon stood on a rock overlooking the lake when she whistled; a giant Kitsume-Guma came from the bushes and pounced on her. And she returned his hug, while landing in the lake. The two relaxed by the lake with the Kitsume-Guma eating some fish raw and Gon's clothes drying by a fire. "Hey Kon, I did what you told me to. I asked Jun-nichan if I could take the exam; he said I had to pass some test before I could go. How do you think I'll do at both tests?" she asked the giant bear-fox

He barked his answer.

"Haha! I guess I know _you_ at least think I'll become a hunter. I wonder what his test will be… Maybe it will test my physical abilities, or my fast thinking… ooo! Maybe he'll test my power!" She exclaimed happily, completely understanding his growls

"Roar!" Kon agreed

"Kon, when I become a Hunter… We'll still be best friends, ok?" She asked, knowing how sometimes Hunters do things that make them hated by animals.

"Roar, roar!" Kon answered, reassuring her

"Thanks! Hey Kon, you remember when we first met three years ago? When the thought of becoming a Hunter came to me."

_Flashback_

"_Kyaa!" Gon screamed in fear as she was attacked by a furious Kitsume-Guma _

"_Grrrr…." _

"_Ah…" Gon was too scared to say anything 'Help me Jun-nichan!' _

_The Kitsume-Guma was about to attack when a man with long tan hair and a big hat came in the way, blocking its attack. "A Kitsume-Guma and her cub… I don't really want to do this, but such a monster can cause serious harm so…" he said while unsheathing his sword "I must get rid of it." He sliced the creature in half_

_When he was done, he walked over to Gon "Can you walk?"_

"_Ah. Yes…" She said while she slowly came up_

_She was surprised when he slapped her. "Foolish girl! No one enters such a dense forest at a time like this! Look!" He said as he pointed towards a tree that has large scratch marks on it "That sign is a territory mark left by Kitsume-Guma! You can see it, can't you! Any animal seeing that would run to another mountain in two seconds! Didn't your parents teach you this!" Gon flinched at the mention of parents that were nonexistent. "Damn bird… I should've pretended I didn't hear it… Now I'm in a bad mood… It's been a while since…"_

"_I don't have parents…" Gon interrupted "I was left at my brother's doorstep when I was a baby. I have no idea who they are, or if my brothers are really my brothers. One of them and my grandma is raising me."_

"_I'm sorry." He really was. "Put this on your wound, to prevent Gangrene." He started to walk towards the little cub. _

_At the sight of him, the little cub started hissing. "What are you going to do with him?"_

"_Eliminate him. He's not even weaned. He'll die of hunger. If we let him live, he'll surely grow with hatred towards humans and be a danger towards people." He was surprised when the girl suddenly ran towards it and held it close to her. _

"_I'll care for it!"_

"_That's impossible. Kitsume-Guma don't let themselves be tamed by humans!" To prove his point, the baby started scratching Gon's wound on her shoulder. But Gon wouldn't let go, she instead wore a determined look that the man recognized immediately. "You… wouldn't happen to be related to Jin. Would you?"_

_Gon was surprised to hear the name of her older brother. "You know Jin-nisan mister?" she asked as she let go of the cub_

_At that moment Jun had came in, worried after hearing Gon scream. "Gon! Are you alright? Why are you so deep in the forest? I told you not to go too far!" He said in a panicked voice._

"_Jun-nichan!" Gon exclaimed, surprised by her brother's arrival. _

"_Your shoulder! Lord God, Gon. Let me see it."_

"_Jun-san!" The man said, just as surprised _

"_Kaito? What are you doing here?" Jun asked, wondering why his brother's apprentice was here_

"_I came here for some clues on Jin's location."_

"_Ah… I can tell you about that later. Right now, I need to take Gon home to tend to her wound. Why don't you come along? We were about to have lunch." He said while picking up his little sister_

"_Ah! Jun-nichan! Wait!" Gon yelled, surprising both men_

"_What is it Gon?"_

"_That little Kitsume-Guma… can you give it some food? His mom died because of me and I want to raise him." She said while pointing towards the little cub in hiding_

"_Oh. I don't see why not. Hmm… How about I go home and get us some food for a picnic and medicine for your wound. Kaito, can you watch my sister while I'm away?"_

"_Of course." _

"_Alright, I'll be a moment. Kaito, why don't you tell Gon a little about the Jin you know?" He said while running off towards their home_

_Kaito looked to Gon, only to find that she was already walking towards the cub. "Hi little guy. My big brother is going to get us some food, when he does you can have some too. Ok?" The cub hissed at her. "I'm sorry... I didn't know about the territory thing, and that caused your mom to die. But I don't want you to die too, nor do I want you to end up hating humans. So please eat with us…" The cub decided to purr to her this time. "Thanks! I'll be sure to get you fish next time if Jun-nichan doesn't bring any!"_

'_She can understand the cub's words?' Kaito thought as he watched the two interact, astonished "You can understand him?"_

"_Hm? Yeah, we don't really know why. I can feel the weather too sometimes." _

"_Sometimes?"_

"_Yeah, it has to be really obvious or I have to focus a lot."_

"_I see…"_

"_So, can you tell me about Jin-nisan? He was only around till I was 5, so I don't really remember him that well." _

"_Oh, sure. Well, Jin taught me how to be a hunter from the very beginning; the last test he imposed was to find him, which has been harder than any hunt I've done so far. Jin's the best hunter I know, other than Jun-san. If I didn't meet him, I'd still be living on the streets." Their conversation continued like that until Jun arrived with the food. _

_:20 minutes later:_

"_I see you two are getting along nicely." _

"_Jun-nichan! Can I see your hunter badge?" Gon asked, almost out of nowhere_

"_Haha, sure. Seems like Kaito told you a lot about the hunter life." _

"_Un! I want to be one too!"_

"_Is that so? Well, I'm sure you'll be a wonderful hunter." Jun replied to her excitement_

"_I agree. After all, only the best hunters are liked by animals." To prove his point, the cub came to Gon and started licking her wound and cuddling with her. _

_End Flashback_

"Ah! It's already sunset! Dinner should be soon! I need to go Kon, Jun-nichan's going to tell me what my test will be soon!" She called while running home.


	3. The Test

**Hi everyone! Sorry it took me soo long to write this I had a major block. But now let's see what test Jun thought up for Gon! You're in for a surprise!**

"**Blah" talking**

'**Blah' thinking**

**:Blah: time/setting**

_**Blah**_** flashback/dream**

"**Blah****" unkown talking (you'll know today!)**

Chapter 2: The Test

"I'm home!" Gon yelled as she came into the house

"Gon? Why are you home so early?" Jun asked as he just finished dinner

"What'smytest?What'smytest?What'smytest?What'smytest?" Gon excitedly asked while jumping up and down

Jun chuckled at his sister's action. "Well, that answers that question. Yes, I have you test. But let's eat dinner first shall we?"

"Ok!" Gon replied happily

:After Dinner:

"So what's my test?" Gon asked, unable to wait any longer

"This." Jun brought out a pot and a bag of seeds seed. "You are to grow a seed using only your power over the elements. You can't touch anything other than the pot itself and you can't be in the sunlight, only near it. Show your control over it by growing the seed in less than 5 hour. I have multiple seeds so you can practice several times. Since the registration for the Hunter Exam is due in two weeks, that's how long you have. Good luck."

"Alright! I'll give it everything I've got!" Gon yelled as she took the pot and seeds and ran to her room to practice.

Jun and their grandmother chuckled at her antics. "She's just a ball of energy, isn't she?" Jun said to herself

:Gon's room:

Gon was already trying to bring the seed to life in her room but was already failing to make the seed take root in the pot. Gon started to pout at her failures. "Mou… why can't I even start?" She questioned herself

"Little Gon, to grow a plant you must first give it water to grow off of…" A voice from behind Gon said.

"Really? Thanks Terra!" Gon replied happily.

Terra is the manifestation of both earth and nature. She wears a luscious green dress that has an opening in the front revealing light brown pants. Her light brown hair and gentle green eyes represented nature whereas her toned and tanned body symbolized earth. Terra is the more aggressive of the female spirits, though she is nothing compared to the aggressiveness of the males, Terra is also gentle so her aggressive side only comes out when needed.

"It is my pleasure. Your brother gave you a rather difficult test. To grow a plant using only your powers means you must grow it without rest, and to grow it properly you must have a certain level of control over earth, water, and light." Terra explained the difficulty of Jun's test to Gon

"Hm… I see. I need control over earth so the plant won't grow faster than I'm giving it water and so it would grow at all, I need control over water to continue feeding the plant but I also have to make sure not to give it too much or it will die, and I need control over light to give the plan it's nutrients without actually being in sunlight. All while doing this without rest. It really is hard…" Gon's spirit started to damper at the realization of how difficult her task was.

"Perhaps you should practice your control over water first, so as not to kill you plant before you even start." A new voice suggested

"Nympha!" Gon exclaimed as she turned the manifestation of water.

Nympha wore a clear blue dress on her petite figure. Unlike Terra her build was less muscular and she had a paler complexion since her element is one of flexibility and purity. Nympha had deep blue eyes and long, but shorter than Terra's, blond hair. Unlike Terra her element is more known for its gentleness, and occasional moments of power; as such, Nympha tends to keep her temper her true power under control.

"That is an excellent idea Nympha. But after that will she practice earth or my element?" Another new voice entered.

"Aura!" Aura had long elegant blond hair that shined even brighter than Nympha's and her eyes were a stunning golden color. She wore a dress similar to Nympha only it was a mixture of gold and white in color. Aura represented light and as such almost never went into battle, her build was even less muscular than Nympha's and was paler than Nympha too. Her complexion was second only to Glacies, the symbol of ice.

"Hm… Actually, in your and Terra's cases Gon would have to train them both at the same time since the both need to be active throughout the whole procedure…" Nympha thought out her reply

"Then… I'll practice with Nympha first, then I practice with Terra and Aura, and then I practice with the seeds and then I'll pass Jun-nichan's test!" Gon exclaimed happily while practically jumping in her room.

At the sight of her happiness the three spirits giggled, oh how they love to see their beloved child happy. All eight of the elemental spirits loved Gon and had even showed their true forms to her so she could use their elements to her own will. The book Gon had when she arrived at the Freecs house held instructions on how to train her power and only revealed the trainings each step at a time. If Gon was not ready, then the pages would be blank.

Since the little meeting between Gon, Terra, Nympha, and Aura, Gon had been practicing nonstop whenever she was not doing her chores of taking breaks with Kon in the forest.

:One Week Later:

"Jun-nichan!" Gon yelled while running around the house looking for her brother with the pot and seed at hand.

"Yes?" Jun asked as he turned to her, he then noticed the pot in her hand. "Oh, are you ready to show me that you can grow it?"

"Yep!" Gon yelled excitedly

"Alright, let me get the stopwatch." Jun left the room to get their stopwatch, once he returned he sat in a chair that was near a ray of sunlight. "Alright, you know what to do." Gon sat behind the corner of the light so she could have access with it even after a few hours. "Go."

At the signal, Gon put the seed in the dirt provided and started by conjuring water from the air. Once she convinced herself that she had enough to start off with, she sent in into the pot towards the seed. At that time she used her left hand to gather light without actually putting her hand inside it and her right hand started to grow the plant from inside. The process would continue with Gon switching her right hand's role between earth and water. While this was going on, Jun was watching his sister with pride. 'She's come a long way. Her control is almost perfect, and she's doing this without stopping so her stamina went up quite a bit from last time. I think she'll be able to pass this time…'

Finally, after three hours the bulb on the plant had bloomed, signaling to Gon that she had completed her task. She ceased her control over the elements, now all that was left was to see if she was able to finish in the necessary time. Gon looked over to her brother with an expectant look. Jun smiled to his sister. "Congratulations Gon, you did it in three hours. You can take the Hunter Exam."

"YES!" Gon exclaimed while jumping up and down. "I'm going to take the Hunter Exam!"

Jun chuckled while walking over to the registration that Gon had gotten before hand and signed the forms allowing his sister to take the Exam. "Good luck, Gon. Now, why don't you take this to the mailbox?" Before he finished his request his sister had already taken the form and ran out the house. "Heh, just like Jin, too excited to stay still. I'm sure she'll be fine."

:In the forest:

Gon ran into the forest while calling for Kon. When she saw him, she tackeld him in pure glee. "Kon! I did it! I passed Jun-nichan's test! I'm going to take the Hunter Exam! Once I pass, I get to be a real live Hunter!" Gon was now dancing with Kon and the whole forest was having a grand party, overjoyed that the only human they trusted was getting closer to her dream.

:One Week Later:

Today was the day Gon would leave to take the Hunter Exam. Gon had already said her goodbyes to all the other villagers and they all gave her their blessings, all was left was to say good bye to her grandmother and brother. "I'll be going now. Jun-nichan, Granny."

"Good luck my little granddaughter." Their grandmother said, while giving Gon her best wishes.

"Good luck Gon. Now, before you go. Tell the rules you have to follow no matter what." Jun's face became serious now, these rules were the ones that were made once Gon had entered the family and could be the only thing that keeps her somewhat safe.

"Rule #1: When introducing myself I use the name Gon Freecs. Rule #2: Until I make very trustworthy friends I should avoid using my powers at all cost, or at the very least am very secretive about it. Rule #3: If I want to tell someone my real name, I have to introduce them to you or Jin first and you have to see if they are allowed to know it. And Rule #4: I should avoid showing people my necklace at all costs, even the trustworthy friends." Gon's face was also serious as she was saying these rules since she knew how important they were. Though Gon never understood why she couldn't use her real name, she trusted her brothers' better judgment.

"Good. Now, be careful. I'm going to give you Jin's old fishing rod, and my old mini sword to protect you. But when it comes to the sword, since you never held it before be sure to practice with it every day. I left a book in your bag that should teach you the basics. After that it comes with experience or formal training. I also put your book in your bag in case you are able to unlock more abilities. Good luck." Jun said, he couldn't help but be worried about his precious little sister

"Don't worry Jun-nichan! It's not like I'm alone. I'll come back a real Hunter just like you!" Gon yelled as she boarded the ship that would take her to the starting point of her Exam.

'Good luck Gon… The Exam is full of tricks and traps that are made to even break people's minds. But you can touch people's hearts in a matter a seconds. And it's not like someone I know isn't going to have his eyes on you the moment he finds out you're taking the Exam.' Jun thought as he watched his sister go off into the world of Hunters.

**Ok in case anyone is confused on the whole spirit thing let me explain now. Gon is loved by all the elements. So much that they revealed themselves to her, so she can talk to them. But no one else can see them. Only people they allow can see them. Jun happens to be one of those people because of how strong he is and how important to Gon he is, Jin too. Now there are eight spirits, each representing their own element. There are four males and four females. Here are their names, genders, and their elements. **

**Ignis male Fire/Lava/Heat**

**Nox male Darkness/Night/Shadow**

**Nomos male Air/Wind/kinda Weather**

**Fragor male Thunder/Lightning**

**Nympha female Water/Ocean/kinda Weather**

**Terra female Earth/Nature**

**Aura Light/Day**

**Glacies female Ice/Snow/Cold**


	4. In the Tempest

**Hi everyone! Aren't you surprised by Gon's powers? Now, let's see how Gon's trip to the Exams are!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HunterxHunter nor any of its characters except this 'Gon', Jun and any other OCs I end up putting in**

* * *

Chapter 3: In the Tempest

* * *

During the first night of Gon's trip on the ship, a huge storm had brewed and practically threw the ship wave to wave. Most of the other examinees where thrown with the same force, as for the rest of the ship crew, they were more worried for the ship then their own safety.

* * *

Once the storm passed, the day was clear and all signs of the previous storm had seemed to dissipate. The captain breathed out from his smoke, "We had a lot of little waves." He told a random ship mate

"Yeah." The crew mate replied with a slight smirk

"So, how are they this year?" the captain asked, wondering how the passengers were doing

"Just like those in past years…they're almost dead." To prove it, inside their room, almost all of them were still throwing up from the storm that had long since passed

"This isn't training for the weak… and they want to be hunters? What a joke…" the captain muttered, disappointed again. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Gon running with a basket in her hand.

She walked up to one of the more sick passengers and gave him some herb and water "Take this, its water. And if you chew this, you'll feel better." After he took it, Gon went back to cleaning up the room.

Behind her was a blond man sleeping in a hammock, also unaffected by the storm. There was another man with sunglasses and spiky black hair reading a strange book. The captain smirked at the sight "Well… this year, will we have sailors tougher than others?"

* * *

Later that day, the captain told his crew "Good work, boys! You have two hours ahead of you. The worst is still to come!" While saying this, he noticed Gon looking to the sea with a serious face

Gon was having an internal conversation with Nympha and Nomos. "An even larger storm is approaching little Gon. Be sure to tell the captain, though ,if he was a true sailor, he should already know." Nomos warned

'What should I tell him when he asks how I know?' Gon asked, knowing she has to keep her abilities secret

"Tell him that there is a strong gust blowing and that the seagulls told you. It is possible for others to also know their language." Nympha answered

'Ok.' Gon turned to the captain "There's an even bigger storm coming."

The captain was surprised with her knowledge of this "Oh? And what makes you say this?"

"There's a harsh wind blowing, and the gulls are telling me to be careful."

"You understand the bird's language?" the captain couldn't believe such a young child knew of this. Gon nodded. The captain continued to watch her and noticed the similarities she held with Jun and Jin. He could almost _see_ them behind her. "Child, you came from Whale Island right?"

"Yes."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"Two older brothers."

"What do they do for a living?"

"One was a hunter but stopped to raise me, the other is still doing his hunter duties. He was only around until I was 5, now I only see pictures of him; but I really admire him." She answered with a proud smile

"I see." The captain adjusted his had 'This day has finally come…' "Can you tell me when the storm will be upon us, and how strong it will be?" he asked, his last test of her predictions

Gon looked over to Nympha, since she would know this one. "Twice as hard, at this speed about 3 hours" she replied "And if the wind changes, 2 and a half hours." Nomos finished. Gon had repeated what they said to the captain

'That's exactly right. She's even more accurate than her older brothers.' The captain thought with a smirk "Follow me. I'll show you a few things about driving a ship."

"Ok!" Gon replied happily

* * *

When they entered the control room, the captain immediately started his explanation "You were exactly right with the storm predictions. From this moment on, you'll have to learn the basics of sailing. If you really want to be one of the best hunters, you have to know how to do everything."

Before he continued his lesson, the captain announced to the other passengers "We're going to enter a turbulence zone two times more violent then the last one. The ones who fear for their lives can take rescue boats to a nearby island." At that, almost every passenger panicked and left the boat in a heartbeat.

* * *

After wards, the captain looked at the only three left, the only ones not affected by the previous storm. "Finally, you're the last three? Your names?"

"I'm called Leorio." The man with spiky black hair, sunglasses, black suit, and brief case answered.

"I'm Gon!" Gon answered in her green T-shirt and brown shorts and her fishing rod and mid-sword at hand

"My name is Kurapika." The boy with slightly long for a boy blond hair in a strange blue outfit replied

"Why do you want to be hunters?" the captain continued

"Why should I answer that question?" Leorio asked, suspicious

"I want to find my big brother, and see how both of my brother's jobs are. I also want to travel and go on lots of adventures and make lots of friends along the way." Gon answered enthusiastically

"Hey kid. Who told you to answer? Don't you have any team spirit?" Leorio asked, surprised that she answered so quickly

"I'm just answering his question. What's wrong with that?" Gon asked, confused

"You shouldn't, that's all. For me, it's a matter of honor."

"I agree with that guy." Kurapika finally said, Leorio was upset that Kurapika spoke about him so casually, but Kurapika simply ignored him to continue "I prefer not to answer you unpleasant question rather than lie to you. I think lying is more shameful than being greedy. Speaking honestly, in front of people I just met… the reasons that make me wish to become a hunter are mine, and are personal. That is why it is impossible for me to answer you in this place."

The captain understood, but still said "In that case, you must get off my ship as soon as possible." This shocked them both "You still don't understand? The Hunter Exam has already begun." The storm was starting to brew; back inside the ship, the captain started to explain "You can't ignore that there are many applicants to be hunters as there are stars in the sky… because of the lack of time and space, it's impossible to judge them all. So guys like me are used to diminish the number of candidates. Then, except for you three, all the other passengers have been registered as failures for the grand jury. Even if they can find a way to the exams, the door will remain closed to them. The decision of whether or not you go to the exams belongs to me. So put away your mistrust and answer my question."

After a moment of silence, Kurapika spoke "I… I'm the only survival of the Kurata Clan. Four years ago, all my relatives were killed by thieves. The reason I want to be a hunter is because I want to capture the Phantom Brigade."

"Becoming a hunter of the black list? The Phantom Brigade belongs to Class A. Even the best of hunters will think twice before helping you. You're chasing after a sure death" the captain warned

"I do not fear death. What I fear most is that my anger never leaves." Kurapika's eyes showed his determination

"In short, you want to avenge yourself, and you need to be a hunter for that?"

"That, Leorio, is the dumbest question I've ever been asked. If I don't become a hunter, I won't have access to certain places, information, and displacement. It's probably a detail that your little neurons missed." Leorio fumed at Kurapika's blunt comment

Gon thought about Kurapika's answer and asked "But doesn't that mean you still need to be a hunter to catch them?" her question shocked Kurapika

"Well, what about you, Leorio?" the captain asked, internally smirking in pride for Gon's question.

"I'm after the money being a hunter provides as well as the privileges. With the license I can get practically everything." Leorio made his reason _seem_ like greed; Gon could tell he wasn't telling the full truth, but decided not to comment

"Unfortunately, manners can't be bought Leorio." Kurapika stated

Leorio's eye twitched "That's the third time. Follow me to the deck. Let's spill a little 'noble' blood of the Kurata clan or something."

Kurapika flinched at the comment, then his expression darkened "Take back what you just said, Leorio."

"Leorio-san." Was all Leorio said before walking towards the deck with Kurapika behind him

"Hey! I'm not finished! Don't you want to go and pass the exam?" the captain yelled behind them

"Let them fight. 'If you want to know someone, start by finding out what makes them mad.' Jun-nichan says it a lot, I really like it. From my point of view, both have good reasons to be mad, it's better to let them fight and get rid of the steam. "

The captain decided to trust her judgment when a sailor ran in yelling "Captain! The wind is blowing stronger than expected!"

* * *

Outside, Leorio and Kurapika stood facing each other, ignoring the waves around them. The two began to charge each other when one of the sails broke and a piece of it went flying right at one of the sailors. The two ran to try and save the man, but neither could reach while holding onto the ship. Out of nowhere, Gon jumped right at the man, holding onto nothing at all. Kurapika and Leorio immediately grabbed onto her legs, preventing her from falling and saving both of them.

Once both were safe, the crew took hold of the wounded man yelling "Thanks a lot kid!" while running inside to tend to his wounds.

Gon was nursing her nose saying "Owie. I banged my nose."

Leorio and Kurapika glared at her, fuming about her insane stunt. "Are you crazy or what? The ocean is wild, the currents are extremely strong, and you… you… Well, it's really dangerous!" Kurapika yelled "if we hadn't caught your feet, it's had been over for your for sure! You'd have drowned no questions asked!" Leorio yelled while pointing at her

'Why are they lecturing me when they were about to fight just a few minutes ago? And they sound like Jun-nichan…' While thinking this, Gon felt Nympha and Nomos's glares at her back, she sighed knowing she was going to get _another _lecture later. "I guess I would… But you caught me didn't you?" Gon asked brightly

Leorio, Kurapika and even the captain were silent at that. "Well… I guess…" they both said hesitantly

"Forgive me rudeness…. Leorio-san." Kurapika apologized

"Let's not be formal after that. Call me Leorio, and I should be sorry for what I just said." Leorio replied, also apologizing

Gon smiled, knowing that Jun's words of wisdom was proven right again. However, Nympha and Nomos took this chance to lecture. "Little Gon… what you did was incredibly reckless" Nympha started

"You were thinking that even if you fell, we would be able to protect you, weren't you?" Nomos asked, just as furious

'Maybe? Can't you?' Gon replied

"We may be able to protect YOU, but the man you were protecting would be lost. And you would have lost your chance to take the exam." Nympha answered, still upset

'Oh… Well it's a good thing Leorio and Kurapika caught me then!' Gon thought happily. Nympha and Nomos sighed, knowing that their little child thought no more of it.

The captain, while watching this, started to laugh "Hahahahaha! Ahh! You guys please me! I'm in a good mood today! I've decided to take you to the port closest to the testing area!"

"But… what about your test?" Gon asked

"Let's forget all about it. Besides, don't you want me to continue to teach you how to drive a ship?"

"Yeah!" Gon exclaimed while running towards the captain

Leorio and Kurapika simply smiled at the child's energy, completely unaware that she had already wrapped them around her finger.


	5. The Shortcut

**Hi everyone! Thank you for following Gon and everyone! Now let's get on with the story!**

**Disclaimer (I don't know why I have to do this when it's obvious): I do not own HunterxHunter nor any of its characters except femGon, Jun and any other OCs I make along the way**

* * *

Chapter 4: The Shortcut

* * *

Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio get off the boat at the port of Dole. "There sure are a lot of people." Leorio commented

"Most of them are probably here for the same reason as us." Kurapika analyzed

"So, they're all candidates, from around the world, here for the Hunter Exam." Leorio speculated "Let's see… What can we ride to get to Zaban City?"

"Captain. Thank you for everything!" Gon thanked the captain behind them "It was a really fun trip!"

"Well said, Gon. You enjoyed that harsh trip." The captain stated while laughing, proud of Jin and Jun's little sister; Kurapika watched their interaction, intrigued by Gon. "Although you've arrived at Dole Island's harbor, there's still more obstacles ahead." He warned

"Un. Jin-nichan, gave me the feeling it'd be like that." Gon assured

"Not another lecture." Leorio slightly complained "We've heard enough onboard."

The captain hmphed. "Fine, but I'll tell you this one last thing. It's a 'Special Service'"

"Special service?" Leorio asked

"Look." The captain pointed behind them "Head for that tall tree." He pointed to the tree at the top of the mountain "That's one of the shortcuts to get to the exam center. If you understand, then get outta here. The exam has already started." He gave his last advice before going back onto his ship

"Ok. Take care!" Gon called

"You too guys." The captain replied

The crew even waved to them. "Bye-bye everyone!" Gon happily waved as Kurapika bowed and Leorio waved

'You can relax Jin, Jun. Your sister is just like you.' The captain thought, while walking past a man with orange hair and two wrapped weapons.

* * *

Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio looked at the map and realized something "Something's wrong. The exam center's location, Zaban City, is in the opposite direction of the tall tree." Leorio stated

"You are right." Kurapika agreed

"We'll probably just waste time. It's not a shortcut. We should head directly for Zaban City." Leorio speculated

"If you're going to Zaban City, there's an express bus for it." A stranger with orange hair and two weapons on him back stated from behind Leorio "The bus station is right over there."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Mashu. I'm a rookie candidate like you guys. Nice to meet you." Mashu introduced himself and offered his hand

Gon was the one to take his hand "I'm Gon."

Mashu offered his hand to Kurapika, but Kurapika just stared at him. "Don't worry about it. He's a little weird." Leorio assured Mashu while putting his hand on Mashu's shoulder "I'm Leorio. By the way Mashu-san, are you going to use the bus too?"

"Unfortunately, I hate riding the bus. Also, I've decided to go to the mountain with the tall tree."

"So, you're going the same way I am." Gon replied

"Oh! What a coincidence! I was looking for a companion. Let's go together, Gon." Mashu offered eagerly

"Un!" Gon replied

"Are you sure?" Leorio asked

"I'm going the way the Captain said. There must be a reason." She replied before walking away with Mashu following

"You should learn to be suspicious of people. I recommend going by bus." Leorio commented, but then Kurapika started to follow Gon too "H…hey! Kurapika!

"I don't care what the captain said. But I'm interested in Gon's action. I'll hang out with her for a while." Kurapika explained

'He doesn't have any personal thoughts?' Leorio thought angrily, before grabbing his suitcase and walking the opposite direction "See ya! We've only been together for a short while, but take care!" he called

"Be careful, Leorio-san." Mashu replied before smirking at Leorio's back, knowing full well what would happen to him.

* * *

Leorio arrived to the express bus, only to see that it was incredibly packed. People were literally being squished to the window. "Darn, it's packed." The bus started honk its horn "Hey, wait for me!" he yelled while running to it

* * *

Gon, Kurapika and Mashu were still walking to the mountain. Kurapika kept looking back at Mashu, still very suspicious. Gon was unworried, she believed Mashu whole heartily. Mashu had a knowing smirk on his face.

* * *

Somewhere in the mountain, there was a village of stone. Three other candidates were already in the center when they heard strange chanting. When people in white clocks and strange masks started coming out of nowhere asking and answering strange questions. "What are those kids saying?" one of the candidates asked

"Leave them alone. Let's go ahead instead." His companion replied, the third agreed

Suddenly, several people started to show up in the same cloaks but different masks appeared and blocked their path. From above them a figure could be seen, watching over them. "Go through." The crowd stated before moving out of the way.

"Alright!" the three exclaimed before running through

The one watching over them was an old lady "Most of the candidates are fools who try to make some easy money after getting their Hunter license." She sneered "I want to see some candidates who stand out." She said before sitting on her chair for a nap

* * *

Leorio's bus continued it's 'path'. Leorio was getting his face pounded in from all of the extreme turns the driver made "That hurts damn it! Hey driver, how long till we get to Zaban City?"

The driver made another turn making Leorio fall to the side "Please don't talk to me while I'm driving, Mister. It's dangerous."

"Hey, we passed this place already!" A candidate noticed

"This bus is just going in circles!" another exclaimed

"This can't be! Hey! Is this bus really going to Zaban City?" Leorio yelled

"Zaban City?" the driver asked "I'll take you there when I feel like it."

"W… What did you say?" Leorio yelled

"It's a trap! This bus is a trap!" another candidate exclaimed

"Damn it! Hey! Stop this bus!" Leorio ordered

The driver immediately stomped on the breaks "I stopped, Mister"

Leorio was getting more and more pissed "Sorry to bother you." Leorio replied when he realized where they stopped. Right on railroad tracks while a train was headed their way. "Hey, hey! Start the bus now!"

"What a selfish person you are, Mister" the driver monotonously replied before flooring it and saving them all by a hair's length. At this moment, the candidates realized they were better off just jumping out of the bus, Leorio too. "I look forward to doing business with you again, Mister." The driver called

"Like hell I will!" Leorio yelled back with his fist raised. Leorio thought of the tall tree 'Shit. Looks like I have no choice…' he thought

* * *

Gon, Kurapika and Mashu were already starting up the mountain. Or more like, Kurapika was walking up and Gon was carrying the 'injured' Mashu from far behind. "Does your leg still hurt, Mashu-san?" Gon asked

"Yeah. Looks like I sprained my ankle while I was walking on the unfamiliar mountain path. Sorry to cause you trouble Gon." Mashu apologized

"Don't worry about it." Gon happily replied. Kurapika glared at the obviously lying Mashu before continuing on.

Terra wasn't happy about it either, she also knew the truth but didn't tell Gon since Gon is just too kind to understand the concept of being used. She, itstead, approached Gon saying "Little Gon, there's a herb that should help you 'friend's' ankle in the forest." She informed

'Really?' Gon happily asked "Mashu-san, can you wait here for a sec?"

"What is it, Gon?"

"There might be some herbs in the forest. I'll go get them!" she replied before running off

"What are you saying?" Mashu called before muttering "We shouldn't be wasting our time…"

Kurapika had it then "If you're in such a hurry, go by yourself."

"Eh?" was all Mashu could muster up

"Later!" Kurapika called before going to follow Gon

Mashu waited a moment before getting up, perfectly fine. "Damn it. I'm so close to the city." He muttered before walking to find them "Hey! Don't leave me alone! Where are you Gon?" when he heard some rustling he thought it was Gon, but realized it was, in fact, a wild rhino. Out of fear, Mashu started to run away, the animal started to chase him. Mashu pulled out his weapons "Damn animal! You'll be sorry if you attack me."

The animal sneered and growled at him. Kurapika came out from behind Mashu "Put those away!" he yelled "You can't use them properly anyways." He sneered

At that moment, Gon started to approach the rhino. "H…hey." Mashu called after her

"Gon!" Kurapika cried, only just then realizing her presence. As a precaution, he pulled out his weapons. "It's already enraged. We must kill it."

"Wait, Kurapika!" Gon cried while putting herself between Kurapika and the rhino "it's just mad because it thinks we're going to take over its territory." She explained. Kurapika still prepared for battle, but Gon simply walked closer to the rhino. "Please calm down, we won't do anything. We don't intend to take over your territory. So please…"

She wasn't able to finish her sentence because Leorio came out at that moment and yelled "Watch out, Gon!" and hit the rhino on the head with his suitcase "Take this!"

"Ah!" Gon and Kurapika exclaimed, obviously not expecting that. All Leorio did was piss of the rhino and made it chase him.

"Don't follow me!" Leorio cried while running for his life

Kurapika and Gon watched in shock "Why did he come here?" Kurapika asked. Even Gon didn't have an answer.

* * *

Later on, "The bus was a trap?" Gon asked

"Yeah. It was terrible." Leorio replied

"So, you shamelessly came back to follow Gon, Leorio?" Kurapika teased

"I-It's not like that!" Leorio stuttered "I thought you guys would be lonely without me. They say 'Go with companions on journeys'. So, PLEASE Gon! GET RID OF THAT RHINO!" He cried. The whole time he was on top of a tree, afraid of the rhino's rath

With that, the rhino left peacefully "Bye-bye!" Gon called

"When are we going to stop wasting time here?" Mashu complained "Someone else might have gotten ahead of us by now. If you had just followed what I said, we wouldn't have gotten in that dangerous situation."

"But it turned out alright! I mean, we've met up with Leorio again… and it seems that Mashu-san's leg got better." Gon stated

"Aren't YOU glad, Mashu-san?" Kurapika sneered at Mashu's slip up. Gon simply smiled happily, completely unaware of the inner meaning of Kurapika's words

* * *

The group finally arrived to the village, it resembled that of a ghost town. "This sure is a creepy place. I can't even see one person." Leorio commented

"But, there ARE a lot of people." Gon stated

"Yeah. Don't let your guard down." Kurapika agreed

"How do you guys know?" Leorio asked

"You can hear them breathing from all over the place." Kurapika explained

"I can also hear rags being dragged around." Gon agreed 'And Terra told me there were a lot too, since she can feel the vibrations on the ground.' She thought, the _other_ reason she knows. "I wonder if they're hiding?"

Leorio tried to listen, but to no avail "Unfortunately, I'm a normal human being."

Terra felt someone and told Gon, who ran after it. "Gon!" Kurapika cried in worry

"Grandma, I found you!" she exclaimed happily.

Before them was the same grandmother that watched the previous three go to their demise. "H…hey." Mashu called their attention. People in white cloaks and strange masks started to show themselves

"What are these guys?" Leorio asked. The grandma watched them with a knowing smirk

For some reason, all the people were saying "Doki Doki" and simply repeated the chant

"Doki doki doki Doki-te. What's with these guys?" Leorio exclaimed, thoroughly pissed off "Hey Mashu! Are you sure this is the right way?"

"Yeah. I'm very sure. But, if you want to go another way, I won't stop you." Mashu replied

"Then I guess I'll go another way. I'm sick of these stupid traps. That bus was enough for me." Leorio complained while starting to walk away

"Wait Leorio. As Mashu says, this is the right way." Kurapika stated

"What?"Leorio replied

"Because, all the other paths had signs of dangerous animals and beasts. So, we avoided those dangerous paths, and went straight for the tall tree, and ended up here." Gon explained

"Then who are these guys?" Leorio yelled "Isn't this another trap?"

"You guys… If you are headed for the tall tree, you'll never get to it unless you go through this city. The other pathways are like mazes. Plus, ferocious animals and beasts await you." The grandma explained "The girl there is correct."

"Ah! Look!" Gon pointed towards the grandma's staff. It had two X's and a black diamond in between "It's the same mark the captain had."

"I see. This old lady…" Kurapika realized "So, this is another test for the Hunter Exam."

"This old lady is an examiner too?" Leorio asked

At that moment, even the old lady started to say "Doki doki." The whole village started their chant again, only this time it got even louder "Heart Pounding 2 Choice Quiz!" The old lady yelled, surprising them all

"Quiz?" Leorio asked

"I'll now give you one question. You have 5 seconds to think about it." The lady explained "If you get it wrong, you're disqualified. If so, then you better give up being a Hunter."

'So this is the rumored 'City of 2-Choice Quiz.' Mashu thought happily

"Answer with either a 1 or 2. Any other answer will be wrong."

"Hey. Wait a sec. You're giving one question to all four of us?" Leorio asked

"It's easier that way." She replied

"But if he gets it wrong, that means I'm disqualified too!" Leorio exclaimed while pointing to Kurapika

"That's not possible. It makes me want to cry, since the possibility of the other case is much higher." Kurapika sneered

"But, that means if only one of us has to get the correct answer, it's easy. Plus, I'm not good with quizzes." Gon said happily while laughing

"Sorry." Mashu said, stopping Gon's laugher "I'll go first. Okay, old lady?"

The lady smirked "I see that you have a lot of confidence. I don't mind."

"Then it's settled." Mashu said happily before sneering at the other three "I wouldn't want to be disqualified because of these guys."

"Mashu-san?" Gon asked, not really understand what was going on.

"Unfortunately, I had no intention to become friends with you guys. As long as I got to this city safely, it was ok with me. I'm good at using my head. I have no use for you guys." He sneered

"What? You bastard!" Leorio was getting really pissed

"Leave him alone. If we know the first question, we can use it as an example." Kurapika smirked; glad they got rid of Mashu

"That's true but…" Leorio replied

Mashu smirked "Hurry up, old lady."

"Here's the question: Your mother and lover are being held captive by crooks, and you can only help one of them. One, your mother. Two, your lover. Which would you help?"

Even Mashu was shocked at the question. 'Is she serous?' Kurapika wondered 'There is no universal answer to this.'

'This must be a joke.' Leorio thought

Gon was just confused 'Guys, what's a lover?' she asked her elemental guardians

None wanted to tell her yet. 'How about we explain that to you when you grow up a bit?' Nomos asked

'If you say so…' she thought back. The guardians sighed in relief, glad they didn't have to cross that bridge yet.

Mashu regained his composure. 'This quiz is too easy for me. In this case…'

"Answer within 5 seconds." The granny said before starting her count down

"One!" Mashu replied when she was only on '4'

"And why do you think so?" she asked

"Because, there is only one mother in this word; I can just find another lover." Mashu replied. His comment on the mother made Gon slightly sad.

The people moved out of the way. "Go through." The granny ordered

Mashu smirked and started on his way "I'll see you guys later" before running and thinking 'I'll leave a lot of traps for you guys!'

Once Mashu was out of sight, the villagers blocked the path again. "Stop shitting with us! There's no such quiz!" Leorio yelled "Even if we help the lover, can you justify it's not the wrong thing, old lady? There's no correct answer to this kind of question. Or do you want us to answer according to your point of view? I'm going back! I'll go through another route."

The lady smirked "Too late! If you forfeit the quiz, you'll be disqualified."

That stopped Leorio "What?"

"You don't have what it takes to become a Hunter." The lady sneered

In the distance a scream was cried. Kurapika and Gon both heard it. Gon started to run towards it when Kurapika stopped her "Leorio!" he called

"What? You want me to continue with this stupid quiz?" Leorio asked

"This quiz is…" Kurapika started

"Wait!" the lady interrupted "I won't allow any more chatting." But she internally smirked 'Looks like the cat-eyed boy found out.' She thought, glad that _someone_ finally did. "If you say anything else, I will disqualify you. Now, answer! 'One' to take the quiz. 'Two', don't take it."

"One!" Kurapika immediately answered. Kurapika and Leorio stared into each other's eyes 'Realize Leorio, that it is a simple trick. Gon, you should have heard it too. If you did, you should have realized the trick to this quiz'

"Can our question have nothing to do with parents?" she asked out of no where

"Why?" the granny asked

"I don't have any. I was raised by my older brother and granny. So if it involved parents I would immediately save the other." She explained. Kurapika and Leorio looked at her with sad eyes, sorry for the situation she was forced into.

"Ok. Here's the question. Your son and daughter have been kidnapped. You can only take one back. One, your daughter. Two, your son. Which one will you take back?" she asked

Leorio was really losing his temper 'This old hag and her stupid questions.' While the lady was doing her count down, Leorio walked over to a pile of wooden planks.

"Times up." The granny said after 5 seconds

"Eat this!" Leorio yelled while preparing to strike her with the wooden plank

"Is that your answer?" she asked

"Leorio!" Kurapika yelled

"Damn it. Quit having fun and giving these stupid questions with no answers. 'You can't become a Hunter if you can't answer?' Fine!" Leorio yelled

"Calm down, Leorio!" Kurapika yelled

"Shut up! I'll beat up this old hag and bring her to the exam center, and I'm going to beat up all the arrogant examiners and give 'em a piece of me! What does THIS have to do with becoming a Hunter? This is required to be a Hunter? Don't make a laugh!" Leorio yelled

"We passed. Are you trying to ruin it?" Kurapika yelled

"What?" Leorio asked, honestly confused

"We passed the test, Leorio." Kurapika replied confidently "Silence…was the correct answer." He explained

"Silence?"

"As you said before, there can't be a right answer. So, there is no correct answer. But since you can only answer with 'one' or 'two', that means silence is the only answer." Kurapika continued his explanation

"But Mashu seemed to get it right." Leorio countered

"They didn't say it was correct. They only said 'Go through'. I heard him scream a moment ago. He was probably attacked by an animal. He tried to outsmart us, but he ended up digging his own grave. That means this path is not the correct one" Kurapika continued

"Correct." The lady agreed. Two people started to open a set of metal doors "The real path is this way. It's a straight path. You should get to the top of the mountain if you walk for two hours."

"Silence is the correct answer?" Leorio asked, still a little lost

"If you still don't understand, then take this old lady wherever you want." the lady replied

Leorio thought for a bit and tossed his stick to the ground. "Old lady, I'm sorry." He apologized

The lady smiled "There's no reason to apologize. I do this job because I want to meet guys like you. Do your best to become a good Hunter." She said, giving them her blessings

* * *

The three went on their way down the path. "Go. The married couple living in the house under the tall tree are Navigators. If they think you are qualified, they should take you to the exam center" the lady said, giving her last advice

Gon finally spoke after a lot of thought "I still can't think of an answer."

The other two couldn't help but laugh a little "You're still thinking about it? You don't have to think about it anymore." Leorio told her

"Why?" she asked

"The quiz is over. We passed." Leorio explained

"I know that."

"Then why are you still thinking?" Leorio asked

"But what would you do if we run into a situation where we can only save one important person when two are held captive?" Gon asked, a rare moment of maturity show in her.

Leorio and Kurapika were shocked to silence by her insight. Gon, hearing no answer, decided to run ahead of them. 'Although saving either one is not correct, the situation where you are forced to pick one might come up.' The lady thought from her room 'That is the real reason for this quiz. Prepare yourself for all sorts of cruel, imaginary situations, for reality will suddenly become merciless. Prepare yourself for that time.'

* * *

Off in the distance, Mashu was currently being used as a cushion for a panda bear looking animal and its cub. "What the heck is going on?"

* * *

The three that were first in the village were still recovering from falling from the cliff. "Damn it… it hurts…"

* * *

On top of the mountain, a creature from within the tall tree said "Come to me, rookies. I'll take 'good' care of you." With his claw held out before flying off into the night sky

* * *

**Sorry for the humongous length of the story guys! I used the anime as my source this time since it was a better version and it took a LOT more words to write it all up. Hopefully, this is a onetime thing. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! And I apologize for the lack of elemental communication. Please review if you have any comments!**


	6. Kiriko

**Hi everyone! Gon's back! Sorry I haven't updated in so long! Anyway, I've decided to base this chapter on the anime too. Hope you enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HunterxHunter**

Chapter 5: Kiriko

* * *

Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio were walking through the pathway when Gon broke the silence by asking "Hey Kurapika, the lady said something about Navigators… Do you know what she was talking about?"

"The location of the Hunter Exam changes every year. It's the Navigator's job to know exactly where it is and guide promising applicants there. Apparently, it's nearly impossible to reach the site safely without them. So that means we have to find a Navigator in order to get to the Exam. _And_ we have to prove to them that we are worthy of their assistance." Kurapika explained

"Wow… sounds complicated…" Gon mused

"Is this tunnel ever going to end?" Leorio complained while falling onto his knees "I thought this was supposed to only take us two hours. It was two hours, two hours ago! I'm starving to death and I REALLY gotta go to the bathroom."

Gon and Kurapika gave each other a look before Gon yelled "Don't fall behind Leorio!"

"Can't we just rest a bit?" Leorio almost begged

"But I can see the exit!" Gon explained

"Really? Then what are we standing around for?" Leorio exclaimed as he ran towards the exit. Once out, Leorio found himself at the edge of a lake and it was the middle of the night. "What are supposed to do now?Swim?" he cried

Gon heard Nympha say "Little Gon, there is a boat further along the lake." And called "Hey, look! There's a boat!" when she located said boat

* * *

While the three applicants were rowing across the lake Leorio noticed something "Arg! The boats leaking!" he cried

"It won't be a problem as long as _you_ plug it up until we get to the other side." Kurapika replied

Leorio huffed and sarcastically stated "Don't tell me this is another part of the Hunter Exam…" he then noticed something floating towards them. It said 'Warning! Magical beast ahead!' "Look, it's a magical beast warning sign…"

"Yeah, I know…" Kurapika replied

The three simply continued on in silence for a while before Gon stated "I've been thinking about it for a while, but I can't think of anything to impress the Navigators with."

"Let me see…" Kurapika mused

"Everyone knows that first impressions are based on looks. Sorry Gon, but I don't think you'll fit the bill, and Kurapika is too short. But I'm sure my good looks will be enough for all three of us." Leorio bragged

Gon looked at Kurapika and asked "Could that work?"

"No. Definitely not." Kurapika bluntly replied

"What was that?" Leorio threatened

"There must be some way we can get their favor. And not with our physical strength either." Leorio and Gon looked at Kurapika with a confused expression. "Like intelligence or knowledge. For example: Gon, what are you really good at and how can you use that to your advantage?"

"I've never thought about it." Gon replied, now self-conscious of her abilities 'The only thing I can think of is something I'm supposed to try and hide…' The elementals gave off feelings of assurance that she _did_ have her own talents

"Even though you may not know it, you are very talented at a number of things." Kurapika assured her "Now Leorio on the other hand…" Kurapika started

"My greatest strength is my courage. Beasts and monsters? Bring them on!" Leorio bragged. And low and behold, a snake-like beast started to arise from the water behind him

Gon and Kurapika's eyes widened in shock, Leorio only wondered what they were looking at "Leorio, behind you." Kurapika warned

So Leorio looked, and saw the beast. It gave a great roar, and Leorio gave a great yell. He took the oars from Gon and Kurapika's hands and rowed them to the other side at a speed they didn't think possible

* * *

While Leorio 'bragged' about his rowing skills. Gon and Kurapika were looking at a stone sculpture. "Are these ruins?" Gon inquired

"I believe they are from the ancient Zumi tribe." Kurapika answered

"Can you read it?" she asked, the ancient writing confusing her.

Kurapika took a good look at the writing and replied "Yes… but there are parts missing so I'm not sure what it says… It seems to be some kind of warning to anyone that intrudes on this place."

"Hey, forget the ruins and let's go find the path." Leorio called "You know, the one that granny told about."

"Oh, that path is right in front of us." Gon replied while pointing towards said road. It was a dirt path that circled around the lake and stretched for a long distance.

"It doesn't look like a shortcut. The granny said it was just one path…" Leorio muttered

"Just because it is a simple path, doesn't mean it goes straight to the destination. Right, Gon?" Kurapika explained why looking back to the little girl

"Un!" Gon replied happily

"Thanks for the kind explanation." Leorio sarcastically replied while walking down the path. Kurapika and Gon soon followed after him, all three unknowing of the red pair of eyes watching them.

* * *

The three were now walking through a forest, silence hanging above them. The only sounds coming from the animals. Gon was leading with Kurapika right behind her and Leorio trailing behind the two of them. Gon was simply looking straight forwards, completely unafraid. Kurapika would take occasional cautious glances around to make sure they were safe. And Leorio was blatantly looking around every few seconds in slightly boredom and paranoia.

"Can we get to the exam center like this?" Leorio questioned, when he noticed another sign "Hey, look. It's another 'Beware of Beasts' sign." Leorio looked at Gon's carefree expression "Hey, Gon. You look confident. Are you sure we're not walking into a place with beasts?"

Gon glanced at Leorio and calmly replied "I'm sure. I haven't seen any signs of beasts coming through here."

"Then why are there signs warning us about beasts?" Leorio countered

"It's impressive that you can see in this darkness." Kurapika remarked

"I lived on Whale Island, and it was pitch black at night." Gon explained 'It also helps to have Nox give me heightened sight in darkness.' She thought to herself "But the atmosphere is different from this forest." She admitted. Gon stopped for a second and happily declared "I see it!" Kurapika and Leorio wondered what she could have seen "There! It's the tall tree." Low and behold, there was an extremely tall tree before them further along the road.

* * *

The group soon arrived to the house beneath said tree and Leorio knocked on the door. No one answered. "It's odd that no one is around." Kurapika observed. "The old lady said a married couple lives here."

"Yeah, and there aren't any other candidates here." Leorio noted while laughing a bit "We're the first ones here. I'm going in." Leorio announced as he opened the door. All three were shocked to find a tall beast glaring at him. In his arms was a young girl and behind him a fallen young man. Leorio and Kurapika charged the beast; but it charged back and broke through the door, carrying the girl with it.

Gon was the first to react to the beasts escape and quickly chased after it. Kurapika soon followed her while yelling to Leorio "Take care of the injured man!"

"Leave it to me." Leorio called back while putting away his knife

* * *

Gon and Kurapika had to stop and search for the beast. "Where did he go?" Kurapika questioned

Gon, using her heightened senses, saw the beast's blue eyes. "I found it!" she called while renewing her chase

"What?" Kurapika exclaimed 'In a dark forest like this, she located the faint shadow of a beast…' he thought in slight awe before stealing himself to continue after her. Gon climbed onto a tree and started to chase the beast by jumping the branches. Kurapika soon followed while observing "She's good."

Gon soon caught up to the beast and ordered "Give that person back!"

The beast smirked at her while stating "Then take her back by force!"

Gon slowed down in slight awe for a moment before happily declaring "Wow! He spoke!"

"It's called a beast because it's an animal that can speak the human language" Kurapika explained while following "He's a Kiriko, a beast that can change forms. It can change into a human too. Don't let your guard down!"

"If he knows what I'm saying, this shouldn't take long." Gon confidently stated.

"Eh?" was all Kurapika could muster up after that statement

Gon picked up her pace and made a large jump while yelling "Hey! Stupid Kiriko!" And used her fishing rod to hit the Kiriko's head, causing him to drop the girl. Thankfully, Kurapika managed to catch her before she hit the ground. The Kiriko continued to run and Gon chased after him yelling "Wait!"

* * *

The fallen girl slowly began to awaken and saw Kurapika next to her "Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm not anyone you need to worry about." Kurapika replied "Are you hurt anywhere?"

The female gasped and cried "My husband! What happened to my husband?"

Kurapika put his hand on the panicking girl's shoulder "Relax. A friend is taking care of him." He reassured

The girl grasped his hand and begged "Please. Take me to my husband." But Kurapika wasn't paying attention to her words; he was looking at the markings on her hand. "Please! I beg you!"

'This tattoo is…' Kurapika's eyes narrowed slightly

* * *

Back at the house, Leorio was still caring for the man. The man was now properly bandaged and Leorio injected a kind of medicine to help the wounds. "This should do it for a while. But with that injury, I need more medicine." Leorio stated while putting away some of his supplies "Is there a place around here that has Midakudo plants?" he asked

"I know where that is." The man replied "But it's far. Also, beasts might appear."

Leorio scoffed "I can't be afraid of beasts. I'm about to take the Hunter Exam.'

"But…" the man started, before starting to tear up "My wife….she was…"

Leorio looked at the man with sympathy, before confidently stating "Don't worry. Gon and Kurapika went after it. With those two, it should be okay. They'll come back with her." He then brightened up his mood "So…where's this place with the Midakudo plants?"

The man calmed down after hearing Leorio "That? It's at…"

* * *

Gon was still chasing the Kiriko and was now at a river that leads to a waterfall. She saw the Kiriko on top of a rock before it suddenly disappeared. Gon quickly went to the rock and tried to find the Kiriko again. "Little Gon, Look out behind you!" Nympha cried. The Kiriko suddenly appeared from the water behind her and tried to make a swipe at her. Gon managed to dodge it in time by jumping into the air. The Kiriko made a second swipe but Gon used her fishing rod to stop it and push it away from her. The Kiriko made his arms more wing-like and dared Gon to "Come here!" and flew down the waterfall. Gon could only watch in agitation as the Kiriko made his get-away.

* * *

Kurapika heard footsteps coming towards him and gripped his weapons in preparation. "Wait! Wait! It's me." He heard Leorio call "Kurapika, are you okay?" he asked while panting from his run "Where's Gon?"

Kurapika paused for a second before replying "She went after the beast." Kurapika looked at the girl and asked "How is her husband doing?"

Leorio finished panting to reply "There shouldn't be anything wrong. The wounds weren't as bad as they looked. He was given some pain killers and is asleep at home right now." Leorio was now walking towards Kurapika

"I see." Kurapika replied while closing his eyes. "Then…" Kurapika started, his eyes open again, and threw his weapon right at Leorio's face.

"Why did you do that, Kurapika?" Leorio asked while backing away

"Unfortunately, I do not have any friends that are beasts." Kurapika replied while regaining his weapons.

Leorio flinched before darkly asking "How did you know I wasn't real?" he was slowly returning to his Kiriko form

"Even if you were real, I would have done the same." Kurapika replied

"What?"

"I asked Leorio to take care of the injured guy. Leorio comprehended that. I'm saying I would have giving the same punishment to anyone who left an injured person alone and shamelessly came back!" Kurapika declared

The Kiriko seethed and vanished before him. The girl fell next to Kurapika, but Kurapika simply moved forward a bit. "Now…" he started "Can you answer this one question?" Kurapika slowly turned around to face the woman, weapons at the ready. "Who are you?" The woman faltered a bit before darkly smirking.

* * *

Leorio was climbing down a cliff with a herb basket on his back "Finding herbs isn't an easy job."

* * *

The man walked out of the house, perfectly fine, with a blank expression on his face. His eyes slowly turned red and his form became a Kiriko's. The Kiriko took flight.

* * *

Gon found the Kiriko in an open pasture. "I compliment you on being able to follow me…" the Kiriko started. Gon was simply surprised when she looked at the Kiriko. The Kiriko brought one arm up and Gon could see his claws growing longer. "I'm going to pay you back for what you did." it declared

"Payback?" Gon questioned

"Ah. Get ready!" The Kiriko replied, its eyes glowing red. The Kiriko charged Gon, but she didn't even move. The claw stopped just before it touched her. The Kiriko's eyes returned to their former blue and it inquired "Why didn't you dodge it?"

"Because I didn't do anything to be paid back for." Gon replied, surprising the Kiriko. Gon inquired "Hey, you are you?" The Kiriko's ear twitched a bit before it smirked.

* * *

Leorio scaled back up the cliff "Damn it. My politeness is sometimes a nuisance." A Kiriko soon came up behind him and took hold of the rope keeping Leorio from falling, laughing at Leorio's predicament "Looks like I'm in deep trouble…meeting a beast in this situation. My life's in danger and there's no way out." He observed

* * *

"Yes." The woman replied to Kurapika "I am a beast." Kurapika now lowered his weapons "But how did you know?" she inquired while brushing some hair away, her tattooed showing

"That tattoo." Kurapika replied "That tattoo is what the women of the Sumi tribe wore, in ancient times, to signify that they were wedded to God. They got tattooed to show their vow to never marry." Kurapika explained "So, why do you have a husband?" he asked

* * *

The Kiriko, smirking, let go of Leorio's rope slightly; forcing him to fall a bit. Leorio glared at the beast "Is this beast toying with me? Beasts must be wicked animals. I guess his face says it all." while talking to himself, Leorio noticed a slightly bruise mark on the Kiriko's arm: the same bruise that was supposed to be on the fallen male's arm. 'That must be…' Leorio smirked "I see. Now I know what's going on. Hey, Mr. Beast. Those fake injuries were used to trick us?" The beast faltered when it realized Leorio was on to it. "I'm almost a doctor and I couldn't see through it. I feel ashamed." He chastised himself

"What are you talking about?" The Kiriko inquired, trying to continue playing its part

"I'm saying…you're the husband from the house aren't you?" Leorio yelled, the Kiriko's eyes widening in shock "The needle wound on your right arm is unshakable proof!" To Kiriko looked back at it, creating the opening Leorio needed to take out his knife and cut off his bag and throw it back at the Kiriko. The Kiriko fell onto its back and soon had Leorio's sword at its throat. "Looks like the situation has turned around. Game over for you." Leorio smirked

* * *

"You're not the one I was chasing." Gon declared "So it's weird when you say _payback_. But I'll fight you if you want me to."

"How did you know I was a different guy?" the Kiriko inquired

The question surprised Gon. "Because your face is very different and your voice is a little higher and thinner." Gon replied "If I look carefully, I can even tell which tree a leaf fell from. Compared to that, it's easy to distinguish between you guys. You must have switched when you were in the waterfall." She explained

The Kiriko burst into laughter "Hey! Dear!" it called while putting a hand on Gon's head "Come out! You'll see something you don't see often." The other Kiriko soon arose from the ground next to it.

* * *

By now, Kurapika and Leorio caught up to Gon to see this strange sight. Both Kiriko's looked at Gon with intrigue "How long has it been…since someone could tell us apart?" one wondered

"I'm so happy." The other declared. Gon simply smiled back

"Can you tell the differences in their voices or faces?" Leorio asked Kurapika

"No, not at all." Kurapika replied, just as surprised as Leorio

"Also, the one that Kurapika and I hit is the husband." Gon explained

"So, which one is which?" Leorio screamed

"She predicted when a storm would arrive… now, she can tell the beasts apart. " Kurapika observed "It's a special skill."

"Now, as you guys have suspected…" the husband started "We are the Navigators. "

"I'm the daughter." The female that was with Kurapika stated, her Kiriko ears showing

"I'm the son." The male that was in Leorio's care stated, his Kiriko ears also showing

Gon waved back to them. "My son and daughter were acting as a married couple at the house." the husband Kiriko explained

"As Mr. Kurapika said, this tattoo is a vow to be wedded to God." The daughter explained while showing said tattoo "It's impossible to know, if you have no knowledge of ancient history. Having the knowledge and not missing the hint… your observational skills, that determined we weren't married, is worthy of admiration." She declared. The entire family showed their appreciation of Kurapika's ability

"As for Mr. Leorio. Although you didn't realize the injuries were fake, your emergency treatments were excellent. But above that, you kept giving me strong, encouraging words when I was acting like I was worried about my wife. I was moved by your kindness." The son started

'H…hey qu…quit it, you're em…embarrassing me.' Leorio thought

"Also, your excellent observation discovered my true form from this tiny needle wound. It's praiseworthy." The son declared

"And Miss. Gon, your kind shows up once in ten years: the kind who can distinguish us apart, the kind who has super human abilities." The husband and wife stated together

"If I knew about this, I would've hit you more lightly." Gon stated while scratching the back of her head. "I'm sorry."

The husband's very eyes were smiling at them. "You three pass." He declared. Gon's eyes light up and Kurapika and Leorio bumped fists. The Kiriko extended his wings "I shall now guide you to the Hunter Exam center.

The three were being lifted off the ground by the Kiriko's. "Ah! I'm afraid of heights! Don't drop me!" Leorio cried

"Wasn't courage one of your traits?" Kurapika smugly asked

Gon was too excited to even make an input on the conversation 'Soon, I can take the main Hunter Exam. I wonder what kind of people will be there, and what kind of exam it will be.'


	7. The Trial Begins

**Hi all! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long! I was trying to update my older stories! Anyway, to make up for it here is another chapter! Thank you for following Gon for this long! Please enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter. **

Chapter 6: The Trial Begins

Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio found themselves walking through the streets of Zaban City. Their Kiriko guide transformed into a human state so as to not cause any panic as he guided them to the Hunter Exam. The Kiriko was mumbling different directions as his three candidates followed behind while looking around the city. "The testing center should be that building there." The Kiriko announced

The three candidates gazed at an enormous coliseum and were in awe of the sheer size, "Waah!" Gon cried out excitedly, "It's huge!"

"Hm… The Main Exam Center indeed!" Leorio mused, "It's gorgeous from the entrance!"

"It's amazing!" Gon exclaimed

"Here, from around the world…" Leorio started in awe

"…fearless Hunter candidates gather." Kurapika ended

'Nii-san and Nii-chan… must have felt this way too.' Gon thought while gripping her fishing rod.

"Hey guys." The Kiriko called, "It's over here." The Kiriko pointed to a completely normal restaurant.

There was a few seconds of silence. "I only see a restaurant." Kurapika finally said

"Hey, Navigator, if this is a joke, it's in bad taste! You want us to believe that thousands of candidates are waiting inside?" Leorio growled

"Precisely." The Kiriko agreed with a sly grin, "No one could imagine that the place where thousands of Hunter candidates are assembled is here."

* * *

"Welcome!" the cook yelled as the group entered the restaurant, "What would you like?" he asked

"A steak!" the Kiriko declared

The cook suddenly looked at the Kiriko directly, "How would you like that cooked?" he asked

"Over a small flame." The Kiriko answered, already knowing the answer

"At the room in the back sirs and miss." A young lady guided

The group entered the room and there was a table with food already prepared for them. The group could only go through the entire process in silence. "1 out of 10,000." The Kiriko announced, confusing the candidates. "It's the proportion of candidates who get this far. You've done well for rookies. If it's you, I'll be happy to guide you next year. Take this." the Kiriko then threw three circular nametags with the numbers 403, 404 and 405 on them. "Good luck then." The Kiriko bed them farewell

"Kiriko-san!" Gon called before he could close the door. She then offered her hand and said, "Thank you."

The Kiriko stared at Gon for a second before smiling, "You're welcome." He said while shaking her offered hand. "Good bye." With that, the Kiriko left the rookies to eat their meal as the room itself began to lower like an elevator

"The room!" Leorio exclaimed

"So that's how it works." Kurapika realized

"Amazing!" Gon exclaimed

* * *

The Kiriko was walking through the streets of Zaban staring at his hand, "Thank you… huh? That has a nice sound to it." Not once had he ever guided someone that said 'Thank you' to him. 'That child is a special one…' he thought fondly

* * *

"He's making fun of us." Leorio sighed as he ate his steak, "As if he were sure we won't pass this year!"

"One every three years." Kurapika declared, confusing Leorio. "That's the number of candidates who pass this test on their first try. There are those who mentally crack under the stress of the test. And there are still others who are torn to pieces by the veterans of the test and they will never be able to pass the test as long as they are in a poor condition." He explained

"But…" Gon began, "Why does everyone want to go through the trouble to become a Hunter?" she asked

At this Leorio and Kurapika stared at Gon incredulously, "You really knew nothing and you came to take the test?" Leorio asked

"Yes… I don't know." Gon admitted guiltily

"Listen, being a Hunter is…" Kurapika began

"The most." Leorio continued

"Profitable job!" "Honorable job!" Leorio and Kurapika said respectively at the same time

The two immediately looked at each other, "Again with your goody-goody stuff?" Leorio asked

"Money grubbing greedy bastard!" Kurapika yelled

The two growled at each other before Leorio yelled, "Gon! Listen carefully. There's a license card that only an official Hunter can get. If you get this, you can go to any country freely and you can use most of the facilities for free! One who looks for treasure, a Treasure Hunter, or one who gets a millionaire patron, a Contract Hunter, if you can become one, the money just rolls in. You will be able to live in comfort for the rest of your life."

"He is wrong, Gon." Kurapika declared, "A Hunter's job is to keep order between nature and people. Like Ruin Hunters and Phantom Beast Hunters. Protecting rare culture legacies and animals and capturing wanted criminals are a Hunter's job too. A healthy body and mind and strong will are required."

Gon seemed to only be able to smile awkwardly to the two males as the argued their points. "Ah…"

"How about it Gon?" Leorio asked

"Which kind of Hunter are you going to try to be?" Kurapika inquired

"Well, I don't really know…" Gon admitted, thankfully she didn't have to. The room finally reached its destination and came to a stop. The door opened and the three quickly gathered their things and walked through the doors. On the other side were hundreds of Hunter candidates that held a much more powerful air to them. For the three that just entered, if was as if all eyes were on them. And those eyes were glaring.

'The atmosphere is clearly different.' Kurapika observed, 'They're different from the other candidates. Everyone must be an expert at something.'

"There sure are a lot of people." Gon observed out loud

"Including you, there are 405 people here." A voice from above answered Gon, "Yo, I'm Tompa" the man introduced as he got off a pipe he was sitting on. "This year, I'm number 16. Nice to meet you." He greeted while shaking hands with Gon

"This year?" Kurapika repeated in confusion

"I'm Gon." Gon introduced herself, "These two are… Kurapika and Leorio." As Gon introduced them, Tompa reached over to give them each a handshake.

"You guys must be new." Tompa stated

"How can you tell?" Gon inquired

"That's easy!" Tompa laughed, "I went to the test for the first time when I was 10. This is my 35th time."

"35th?!" Gon repeated in shock

"I'm what you'd call a verteran! If you have any questions, just ask!" Tompa declared proudly

"If I were him, I wouldn't be so proud…" Leorio whispered to Kurapika who nodded in agreement

But their conversation was but short at the sound of someone screaming in pain. "H-help me!" the man cried as he lost his right hand.

The one responsible was a man with bright blue hair gelled back in a mixture of clown and magician clothing holding a playing card. "You should be careful. And apologize when you bump into somebody." The man scolded

"Shit." Tompa swore, "That dangerous guy came back this year."

"Number 44: The Magician Hisoka." Tompa introduced the deadly man, "He could have passed the exam last year, but… he was disqualified for nearly killing an Examiner he didn't like. Besides that… there seems to be about twenty candidates who he disabled for life. Don't go near him." He warned

"A guy like that can take the test again?" Leorio asked in disbelief

"Yeah." Tompa smirked, "The Examiner for the Hunter Exam changes every year. And the Examiner picks the test subject. If the Examiner says, 'You pass', even the devil can pass. He's not the only one you should mistrust. But don't worry, I'll be here to explain anything necessary." Tompa said to ease the worry

"Thank you!" Gon said happily

But the experienced Hunter candidates could only snicker to themselves. For they knew that Tompa was the one to mistrust the most, especially for newcomers. After all, he is the Rookie Crusher Tompa.

"Ah!" Tompa exclaimed, "By the way…" Tompa took out some cans of a drink, "Shall we drink to celebrate our meeting?" Tompa offered

"Thank you!" Gon easily accepted while Leorio and Kurapika were less willing.

'Heheh!' Tompa thought darkly, 'I put a very strong laxative in their juice! Just one gulp, and that's three days on the toilets, guaranteed! For me, you're already out of the competition.'

Terra and Nympha stared at the drink with great suspicion, "Little Gon." Terra called

"It seems your new friend has made a mistake with the drink. " Nympha 'suggested'

"There is something that is foreign to drinks and should not be taken in by humans." Terra explained

'Really?' Gon thought in shock, 'I'd better warn them.'

Of course, Terra and Nympha knew very well Tompa purposely did that to the drinks. But they also knew that telling Gon the full truth of it would only hurt her feelings about Tompa in general. Just like with Mashu. It was best to let Gon simply believe it was a mistake.

Gon took a sip and tasted the drink slightly, 'They're right, something is wrong.' She realized and quickly spit out what was in her mouth. "Tompa, your juice has a strange taste! I think it's expired!" she quickly declared

"You think so? I'm astonished." Tompa nervously replied, 'That's impossible, this laxative has almost no taste and no smell! How was she able to detect a taste in this?' And when Tompa looked to Kurapika and Leorio, they were already in the midst of dumping it. Completely trusting Gon's declaration. "I'm sincerely sorry!" Tompa exclaimed

"You don't have to apologize." Gon easily forgave the man, "But it was lucky that I drank it first. I ate all kinds of plants and buds where I lived, so I don't have any problems detecting weird tastes."

"Yes! It's a good thing!" Tompa agreed while curing internally, 'Damn! I thought I found a naïve kid, but I've found a wild child. What is with these newbies?' Tompa wondered as he thought of all the rookies.

* * *

Number 294: Hanzo

_Tompa went to talk to the rookie assuming he was nervous, "This must stay between us, but in fact I'm a ninja!" Hanzo stated, "I want to become a Hunter because I want to find the Shadow's parchment: "The Hermit's Book"! I was told it is in a place where ordinary people can't go." And Hanzo just wouldn't shut up. _

'_Hm, I won't have any problems to..' Tompa thought as he brought out the can of juice, "To celebrate our meeting, can I offer you a drink?"_

_But Hanzo merely put his hand in front of him to say 'no'. Hanzo's eyes suddenly sharpened as he said, "It's a ninja principle: never fill his thirst with some drink offered by anybody. Sorry." _

_Hanzo had the eye of a pro._

* * *

Number 187: Nicolas

_When Tompa offered Nicolas a drink, the boy immediately took out a laptop while saying, "Wait a moment…" when he found what he was looking for he declared, "Ah! There you are! It's your 35__th__ participation, which places you second in the participants record. But have first place in the number of successive participations: 30 times! Quite a performance! Your performances are honorable for the exam itself, it seems that you've never won. It's because your other objective fascinates you too much… Isn't that right, Rookie Crusher Tompa-san? I'm sorry but I don't want your juice."_

_Nicolas already knew about Tompa._

* * *

Number 301

The man was completely covered in pins and seemed to be unable to speak. Tompa didn't even have a chance

* * *

Finally, number 99: Killua.

Killua was the only one to drink the laxative juice. Killua was a small boy with silver hair and a skateboard wearing a V-neck t-shirt over black long-sleeves and shorts. 'Unfortunately, he is about the same age as #405. Too bad! We have to teach kids that life is sometimes difficult. In a few moments, he won't be able to hold back anymore.'

Killua then noticed Tompa and happily called, "Oi! Tompa! Would you give me another can?" Tompa easily gave Killua four extra cans, "This causes me stress and I'm thirsty so…" Killua quickly drank all four cans.

'It's not normal. With only one can, he should be over… so with five, he should be emptying and dieing of dehydration, but…' Tompa watched in horror

"You're worried?" Killua joked, "I have no problem because I've been trained. It's not a poison that will kill me." He declared while walking away

'A poison? He doesn't even know what kind of product I put in… but he drinks it with no problems?' Tompa thought in horror, 'The rookies of this year… are quite interesting.' He though with a smirk

An impossibly loud alarm clock ended all conversation. The holder of the strange alarm was a man with no visible mouth very cliché moustache and grey hair. "The reception is over." He announced as he lowered himself from his elevated location. "Now, we'll begin the Hunter Exam."

There was a heavy silence at the announcement, "The Exam will begin!" Gon declared excitedly

Kurapika merely stayed in a still silence and Leorio loosened his tie, "I'm suddenly nervous." He admitted

"This way, please." The man said as he began to walk ahead, "Okay. Just for clarification. The Hunter Exam is very harsh. If you are unlucky or if you're lacking ability, you'll get injured or die." The man Hisoka killed was the first victim of that rule. Only those who don't mind, please follow me." Of course, none of the candidates backed down. "I understand. There are 404 people in the First Exam." The man noted as he walked ahead of the group

The group has been walking for a short time as Leorio looked around, "It's pretty obvious that no one's leaving." He observed, "I was kind of hoping someone would."

Kurapika was paying more attention to the pace they were walking then Leorio's words. "This is?" Gon noticed it

"You realized it?" Tompa asked

"The pace is picking up." Kurapika stated

Up front, the man was already walking at a pace where those behind him had to start running in order to keep up at all.

"So this year it's like this." Tompa declared, "Looks like the exam is about to begin."

"It's a late introduction," the man began, "But I am Satotsu, the person in charge of the First Exam. I will now lead everyone to the Second Exam Center." At this some of the candidates gasped in realization, "Some of you have already realized that you have to follow me to the Second Exam Center. This is the First Exam." At this point, everyone in the group had begun to run.

* * *

30 minutes after the Exam began and no one is showing signs of tiring quite yet. "How long have we been running?" Gon asked in curiosity; she was never very good keep track of time.

"About 30 minutes." Tompa answered

"What a weird test." Gon said, somewhat bored at the thought of just running

"No," Kurapika corrected, "It's a good test for testing stamina. And…"

"Yeah." Tompa interrupted, "You've realized it too, huh?"

"Realized what?" Gon asked

"How much more to run. Or how long we have to run in total. We have to keep running without knowing. That's a big psychological downslide. Along with stamina, your mental strength is being tested." Tompa explained

"Heh~." Gon was now getting more interested, "Hey, Tompa-san. If you've participated 35 times you must know a lot of people here."

"I sure do." Tompa replied

"Tell me!" Gon requested with a great big smile on her face, "Everyone must be great!"

"Ok. I'll introduce some of them." Tompa agreed, "First, Number 103: Snake Charmer, Barbon." The man in question had a blue turban on his head. "He's vengeful. Next, Number 76: Fighter, Cherry." This man was wearing an orange jacket with gold detailing. "In hand-to-hand combat, no one compares to him. Number 255: Wrestler, Todo." This man didn't look like the average wrestler in that he was wider, but it clear he had plenty more power too. "His power is great. And he's smart. "Number 197 to 199: the Amori Brothers." The brothers were obviously at least 2 years apart and from eldest to youngest they were respectively well built. "With their exquisite combination plays, they've done well in the exams. And…" Tompa took a few seconds to look around for more familiar faces, "Ah, there he is. Number 384: Hunter Gereta." This time the man was black seemed to have a small Afro and wore a green hat and sunglasses. "He kills all kinds of animals with his blowgun and club. He's good. That's about it for the regulars."

"Everyone sure is amazing." Gon said

"It's nothing." Leorio assured, "It's about whether you pass or not." At that moment, Killua went right past them. He was lazily riding his skateboard.

"Wah! Cool!" Gon exclaimed

"Hey kid! That's cheating!" Leorio yelled

"How so?" Killua inquired

"Why? Cause it's an endurance test!" Leorio yelled

"You're wrong!" Gon corrected, "Satotsu-san just asked us to follow him."

"Gon! Whose side are you on?" Leorio yelled

"You should conserve your energy." Kurapika scolded, "You're just noisy right now."

Killua watched Gon for a few seconds before he asked her, "How old are you?"

"Almost 12!" Gon declared happily

"Hhe~?" Killua realized, "Just like me…" at that moment, Killua got off of his skateboard, "Fine, I'll also run." Killua landed right next to Gon and quickly caught his skateboard and smiled when Gon was impressed with his feat. "I'm Killua." He introduced

"I'm Gon!" Gon said back

"And you Mister?" Killua asked Leorio

"'Mister'?! I'm not that old! I'm still in my tens you know!" Leorio yelled

"What?!" Gon and Killua exclaimed in shock

"Gon!" Leorio could only yell, he could never get too mad at the girl.

* * *

It's now been about three hours since the exam began, 'So we've ran for about 40 km.' Kurapika calculated, 'I wonder how many have quit running at the back…?' Kurapika had left the others behind in hopes for peace and quite. 'But above all, how much longer do we still have to run?' Kurapika honestly wondered

In the far back, Leorio was having real trouble keeping up now. 'I can't believe it! We've run for 4 or 5 hours! Why hasn't anybody quit yet?'

"Are you okay, Leorio?" Gon asked, getting worried about Leorio's state. Leorio merely gave the girl a thumbs-up to ease her worries.

'I've underestimated the test!' Leorio realized, 'For an ordinary guy like me, is this merely a dream?' Leorio's steps began to get smaller and he even dropped his suitcase.

When Gon realized Leorio's sudden change in rhythm she yelled, "Leorio!"

"Come on!" Killua called to the girl, "We're not here to have fun, Gon." But Gon refused to move.

Leorio was leaning over his knees when he grit his teeth and muttered, "That's enough!" Leorio suddenly picked up full speed while yelling, "I'M READY TO DO ANYTHING TO BECOME A HUNTER!"

Leorio suddenly caught up to Kurapika, "Leorio?" Kurapika gasped in shock

Gon was happy Leorio didn't give up. She looked back to see that Leorio abandoned his suitcase for less weight. Using her fishing rod, Gon quickly picked up Leorio's suitcase like she would a fish. "Oh! That's a cool trick!" Killua observed, "Would you let me try after?"

"Only if you lend me your skateboard!" Gon replied

* * *

The candidates have ran more than 60 km. None have deserted their quest to become a Hunter.


	8. Author's Note

**Hiatus announcment**

**To everyone who has been loyally reading my stories and now ask me to update, I am sorry to announce that I am putting all my story writing on hold. I ****_will_**** come back continue my stories but it will take some time. I am truly sorry for these sad news. I will try to update my stories as soon as I get the time to write them but I am very busy with college right now. I hope you understand. Thank you for reading/favoriting/subscribing to my stories and profile and I hope to be able to give back to you soon. **

**With love and saddness, IceDragon5683**


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